Is behavioral ecology important for understanding and predicting population dynamics?

Population ecology is a discipline that studies changes in the number and composition (age, sex) of the individuals that form a population. Many of the mechanisms that generate these changes are associated with individual behavior, for example how individuals defend their territories, find mates or disperse. Therefore, it is important to model population dynamics considering the potential influence of behavior on the modeled dynamics. This study illustrates the diversity of behaviors that influence population dynamics describing several methods that allow integrating behavior into population models and range from simpler models that only consider the number of individuals to complex individual-based models that capture great levels of detail. A series of examples shows the importance of explicitly considering behavior in population modeling to avoid reaching erroneous conclusions. This integration is particularly relevant for conservation, as incorrect predictions regarding the dynamics of populations of conservation interest can lead to inadequate assessment and management. Improved predictions can favor effective protection of species and better use of the limited financial and human conservation resources.

Essays on robust portfolio selection and pension finance

This thesis examines three different, but related problems in the broad area of portfolio management for long-term institutional investors, and focuses mainly on the case of pension funds. The first idea (Chapter 3) is the application of a novel numerical technique – robust optimization – to a real-world pension scheme (the Universities Superannuation Scheme, USS) for first time. The corresponding empirical results are supported by many robustness checks and several benchmarks such as the Bayes-Stein and Black-Litterman models that are also applied for first time in a pension ALM framework, the Sharpe and Tint model and the actual USS asset allocations. The second idea presented in Chapter 4 is the investigation of whether the selection of the portfolio construction strategy matters in the SRI industry, an issue of great importance for long term investors. This study applies a variety of optimal and naïve portfolio diversification techniques to the same SRI-screened universe, and gives some answers to the question of which portfolio strategies tend to create superior SRI portfolios. Finally, the third idea (Chapter 5) compares the performance of a real-world pension scheme (USS) before and after the recent major changes in the pension rules under different dynamic asset allocation strategies and the fixed-mix portfolio approach and quantifies the redistributive effects between various stakeholders. Although this study deals with a specific pension scheme, the methodology can be applied by other major pension schemes in countries such as the UK and USA that have changed their rules.

Impression management and achievement motivation: investigating substantive links

In the present research we investigate impression management (IM) as a substantive personality variable by linking it to differentiated achievement motivation constructs, namely achievement motives (workmastery, competitiveness, fear of failure) and achievement goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance). Study 1 revealed that IM was a positive predictor of workmastery and a negative predictor of competitiveness (with and without self-deceptive enhancement (SDE) controlled). Studies 2a and 2b revealed that IM was a positive predictor of mastery-approach goals and mastery-avoidance goals (without and, in Study 2b, with SDE controlled). These findings highlight the value of conceptualizing and utilizing IM as a personality variable in its own right, and shed light on the nature of the achievement motive and achievement goal constructs.

Morphine treatment during pregnancy modulates behavioral selection in lactating rats

Previous studies have demonstrated that treatment of postpartum female rats with morphine inhibits maternal behavior and stimulates foraging. Exposure to drugs of abuse may result in a progressive enhancement of their reinforcing effects. Puerperal treatment with morphine leads to reverse tolerance to this drug. The present study investigated whether repeated morphine treatment during late pregnancy may influence the effects of different morphine dosages on behavioral selection in lactating rats. Females were simultaneously exposed to pups and insects, and the choice between taking care of the pups and hunting insects was observed. Female Wistar rats were treated with morphine (3.5 mg/kg/day, subcutaneous [s.c.]) or saline for 5 days beginning on pregnancy day 17. On day 5 of lactation, animals were acutely challenged with morphine (0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/kg, s.c.; MM0.5, MM1.0, and MM1.5 groups, respectively) or saline (MS group) and tested for predatory hunting and maternal behavior. Control groups were pretreated with saline and challenged with morphine (SM0.5, SM1.0, and SM1.5 groups) or saline (SS group). Animals treated with morphine during late pregnancy and acutely challenged with 1.0 mg/kg morphine (MM1.0 group) exhibited significantly decreased maternal behavior and enhanced hunting. This effect was not evident with the 0.5 mg/kg dose. The 1.5 mg/kg morphine dose decreased maternal behavior and increased hunting in both the MM1.5 group and in animals challenged with morphine after previous saline treatment (SM1.5 group). These results provide evidence of plasticity of the opioidergic role in behavioral selection during lactation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Communication in Smoking Cessation and Self-management : a study at Nurse-led COPD-clinics in Primary Health Care

ABSTRACTThe general aim of this thesis was to investigate behavioral change communication at nurse-led chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinics in primary health care, focusing on communication in self-management and smoking cessation for patients with COPD.Designs: Observational, prospective observational and experimental designs were used.Methods: To explore and describe the structure and content of self-management education and smoking cessation communication, consultations between patients (n=30) and nurses (n=7) were videotaped and analyzed with three instruments: Consulting Map (CM), the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) scale and the Client Language Assessment in Motivational Interviewing (CLAMI). To examine the effects of structured self-management education, patients with COPD (n=52) were randomized in an intervention and a control group. Patients’ quality of life (QoL), knowledge about COPD and smoking cessation were examined with a questionnaire on knowledge about COPD and smoking habits and with St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, addressing QoL. Results: The findings from the videotaped consultations showed that communication about the reasons for consultation mainly concerned medical and physical problems and (to a certain extent) patients´ perceptions. Two consultations ended with shared understanding, but none of the patients received an individual treatment-plan. In the smoking cessation communication the nurses did only to a small extent evoke patients’ reasons for change, fostered collaboration and supported patients’ autonomy. The nurses provided a lot of information (42%), asked closed (21%) rather than open questions (3%), made simpler (14%) rather than complex (2%) reflections and used MI non-adherent (16%) rather than MI-adherent (5%) behavior. Most of the patients’ utterances in the communication were neutral either toward or away from smoking cessation (59%), utterances about reason (desire, ability and need) were 40%, taking steps 1% and commitment to stop smoking 0%. The number of patients who stopped smoking, and patients’ knowledge about the disease and their QoL, was increased by structured self-management education and smoking cessation in collaboration between the patient, nurse and physician and, when necessary, a physiotherapist, a dietician, an occupational therapist and/or a medical social worker.Conclusion The communication at nurse-led COPD clinics rarely involved the patients in shared understanding and responsibility and concerned patients’ fears, worries and problems only to a limited extent. The results also showed that nurses had difficulties in attaining proficiency in behavioral change communication. Structured self-management education showed positive effects on patients’ perceived QoL, on the number of patients who quit smoking and on patients’ knowledge about COPD.

Russian Arctic Ports : Problems with the development and management of tourist flows

The potential changes to the territory of the Russian Arctic open up unique possibilities for the development of tourism. More favourable transport opportunities along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) create opportunities for tourism development based on the utilisation of the extensive areas of sea shores and river basins. A major challenge for the Russian Arctic sea and river ports is their strong cargo transport orientation originated by natural resource extraction industries. A careful assessment of the prospects of current and future tourism development is presented here based on the development of regions located along the shores of the Arctic ocean (including Murmansk and Arkhangelsk oblast, Nenets Autonomous okrug (AO), Yamal-Nenets AO, Taymyr AO, Republic of Sakha, Chykotsky AO). An evaluation of the present development of tourism in maritime cities suggests that a considerable qualitative and quantitative increase of tourism activities organised by domestic tourism firms is made virtually impossible. There are several factors contributing to this. The previously established Soviet system of state support for the investments into the port facilities as well as the sea fleet were not effectively replaced by creation of new structures. The necessary investments for reconstruction could be contributed by the federal government but the priorities are not set towards the increased passenger transportation. Having in mind, increased environmental pressures in this highly sensitive area it is especially vital to establish a well-functioning monitoring and rescue system in the situation of ever increasing risks which come not only from the increased transports along the NSR, but also from the exploitation of the offshore oil and gas reserves in the Arctic seas. The capacity and knowledge established in Nordic countries (Norway, Finland) concerning cruise tourism should not be underestimated and the already functioning cooperation in Barents Region should expand towards this particular segment of the tourism industry. The current stage of economic development in Russia makes it clear that tourism development is not able to compete with the well-needed increase in the cargo transportation, which means that Russia’s fleet is going to be utilised by other industries. However, opening up this area to both local and international visitors could contribute to the economic prosperity of these remote areas and if carefully managed could sustain already existing maritime cities along the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

O project finance no financiamento de empreendimentos em saneamento básico no Brasil

A situação atual dos sistemas de saneamento básico no Brasil, bem como o quadro regulatório e institucional do setor, são o resultado de conturbados antecedentes e de políticas descontínuas, determinadas por aspectos conjunturais e pela alternância entre momentos de maior e menor disponibilidade de recursos. A privatização e a concessão de serviços oferece perspectivas concretas de redefinição da trajetória de evolução do setor, com o estabelecimento de um padrão mais constante e regular de crescimento dos índices de cobertura e de modernização dos sistemas e das técnicas de gestão. A lógica do investimento privado implica na orientação pelo lucro e na configuração de estruturas de menor risco para os recursos comprometidos com o empreendimento. O project finance é uma técnica de financiamento que permite a repartição de riscos entre os participantes, reduzindo parcelas individuais e, conseqüentemente, agregando maior atratividade ao negócio. O presente estudo terá por objetivo analisar o setor de saneamento básico e o project finance, buscando identificar as possibilidades e os impactos presumíveis da introdução e difusão da técnica como alternativa de financiamento para o setor no Brasil.

Aplicando estratégias simultâneas de momento e valor no mercado brasileiro

A teoria de Finanças Comportamentais surge como uma nova abordagem ao mercado financeiro, argumentando que alguns eventos podem ser mais bem explicados se as restrições da racionalidade do investidor são relaxadas. Conceitos de psicologia e limites à arbitragem são usados para modelar as ineficiências, criando a idéia de ser possível ganhar sistematicamente do mercado. Este trabalho propõe um novo modelo, simplista na sua implementação, para aproveitar os retornos anormais advindos de estratégias de momentum e reversão à média simultaneamente. A idéia de um efeito momentum de longo prazo mais forte que o de curto prazo é introduzida, mas os resultados empíricos mostram que a dinâmica do mercado brasileiro rejeita este conceito. O modelo falha em conseguir retornos positivos e livres de risco.

CEO overconfidence and the impact on M&A activity

What drives mergers and acquisitions decisions? Can an overconfidence bias affect decisions within the management team? This study complements recent work developed within the behavioral finance analyses of Mergers & Acquisitions and proposes the use of new variable to measure overconfidence. Using a sample of 8,895 takeover transactions completed by 993 CEOs in the United States – between 1992 and 2008 – it can be noticed that overconfident CEOs have 22% higher odds of engaging in corporate takeovers than rational CEOs.

Lean management and innovation in operational efficiency: the EGR project implemented by Pirelli Tyre Brazil in Santo André plant

O trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar e descrever analiticamente a implementação de práticas de manufatura enxuta pela Pirelli Pneus no seu complexo industrial da América Latina. Além de uma descrição estruturada e ampla dos princípios de produção de Toyota e fundamentos teóricos do Lean thinking, uma ênfase especial será dedicada ao projeto EGR (Especialistas em Gestão da Rotina), como uma ferramenta estratégica para ser usada pela empresa multinacional italiana no futuro próximo, de modo a alcançar um resultado mais eficaz e eficiente na gestão da rotina diária. Este projeto, que representa um componente significativo do Pirelli Manufacturing System (PMS) e, principalmente, voltado para supervisores e gestores de plantas, consiste principalmente em ajudar a empresa a desenvolver a capacidade empresarial para avaliar corretamente o gap potencial existente entre os resultados atuais e os esperados, para tanto entender os desvios, bem como as causas subjacentes, e melhorar continuamente o desempenho da empresa por meio da padronização de processos e redução de desperdicios. Esses objetivos podem ser perseguidos, atuando em dois meios essenciais: habilidades técnicas e comportamentais de liderança para apoiar cada equipe de projeto; uma maior eficácia na gestão de indicadores de desempenho nas diferentes unidades de fábrica, de acordo com KPIs estabelecidos no nível central pelo Head Quarter. Além disso, a investigação será focada na experiência peculiar da planta de Santo André, onde o EGR começou como piloto, com o objetivo de captar as alterações relevantes (no lado organizacional e econômico) que este projeto trouxe para a empresa, através da realização de pesquisa de campo e entrevistas, que são orientados a recolher provas, considerações e opiniões de todos os principais atores envolvidos.

Vulnerabilidade situacional afetando a intenção comportamental: um estudo no setor de serviços automotivos

Considerando os avanços da pesquisa e teoria da psicologia do risco e, em particular, da perspectiva do risco como sentimentos, ressaltando a interação entre cognição e emoção na análise de ameaças, esta tese propõe e testa um modelo conceitual sobre o efeito da vulnerabilidade (risco como sentimento) em intenções comportamentais de serviços relacionados a automóveis. Este estudo teve como hipótese que a autoeficácia percebida pelo consumidor diminui ou elimina o efeito da vulnerabilidade nas intenções comportamentais de perpetuidade de relacionamento com a empresa de serviço. Estimularam o interesse de pesquisa tanto a carência de pesquisas sobre o papel da vulnerabilidade no consumo de serviços não relacionados à área da saúde ou ao corpo do consumidor, quanto a carência de pesquisas sobre a relação entre a vulnerabilidade e as intenções comportamentais. Testou-se em um único modelo, o impacto previsto pelos processos cognitivos e afetivos que envolvem a análise de ameaça (sentimentos de vulnerabilidade, risco e severidade das falhas) e de capacidade de enfrentamento (autoeficácia) na intenção comportamental, no contexto específico de consumo de serviços relativos a automóveis. O modelo de mensuração proposto foi avaliado quanto à dimensionalidade, validade e confiabilidade pelo uso de análise fatorial confirmatória; posteriormente, avaliou-se a relação causal proposta nas hipóteses pelo modelo completo de equações estruturais. O modelo de mensuração proposto foi avaliado quanto à dimensionalidade, validade e confiabilidade pelo uso de análise fatorial confirmatória; posteriormente, avaliou-se a relação proposta nas hipóteses pelo modelo completo de equações estruturais, usando-se o software Amos e a estimativa por máxima verossimilhança. O modelo foi estimado em uma amostra de 202 respondentes. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um levantamento eletrônico transversal e os achados da pesquisa apontam para a confirmação das hipóteses de que (1) o risco percebido cognitivamente, sentimentos de vulnerabilidade e a autoeficácia influenciam as intenções comportamentais. Não foi possível suportar a hipótese de que (2) a severidade das possíveis falhas de serviço tem relação com risco ou com sentimentos de vulnerabilidade. Esses achados ajudam a compreender a relação entre intenções comportamentais e sentimentos de vulnerabilidade. Implicações para o desenvolvimento teórico da pesquisa na área e implicações gerenciais são discutidas. Os resultados auxiliam a compreensão dos resultados de estudos realizados nos EUA nas últimas décadas. Os achados oferecem uma contribuição teórica ao entendimento do fenômeno da vulnerabilidade, a adaptação de uma escala de medida para o fenômeno no contexto brasileiro e aplicado a serviços que não sejam de saúde e cuidados com o corpo. Do ponto de vista gerencial, o estudo alerta para o fato de a vulnerabilidade exercer influência no desempenho comercial de empresas de serviços automotivos, visto que ela influência negativamente a recomendação positiva e a manutenção de relacionamentos de negócios. Os achados sugerem que os gestores de empresas de serviços devem empreender esforços para reduzir a vulnerabilidade do consumidor por meio de informações que o auxiliem na negociação e avaliação do serviço ao minimizar incertezas.

Corporate governance and its influence on the investment decision process of equity market's professionals: An inside view of how corporate governance issues influence the decision-making process of sell-side and buy-side professionals when analyzing Brazilian listed companies

Corporate governance has been in the spotlight for the past two decades, being subject of numerous researches all over the world. Governance is pictured as a broad and diverse theme, evolving through different routes to form distinct systems. This scenario together with 2 types of agency problems (investor vs. management and minorities vs. controlling shareholders) produce different definitions for governance. Usually, studies investigate whether corporate governance structures influence firm performance, and company valuation. This approach implies investors can identify those impacts and later take them into consideration when making investment decisions. However, behavioral finance theory shows that not always investors take rational decisions, and therefore the modus operandi of those professionals needs to be understood. So, this research aimed to investigate to what extent Brazilian corporate governance standards and practices influence the investment decision-making process of equity markets' professionals from the sell-side and buy-side. This exploratory study was carried out through qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, 8 practitioners were interviewed and 3 dimensions emerged: understanding, pertinence and practice. Based on the interviews’ findings, a questionnaire was formulated and distributed to buy-siders and sell-siders that cover Brazilian stocks. 117 respondents from all over the world contributed to the study. The data obtained were analyzed through structural equation modeling and descriptive statistics. The 3 dimensions became 5 constructs: definition (institutionalized governance, informal governance), pertinence (relevance), practice (valuation process, structured governance assessment) The results of this thesis suggest there is no definitive answer, as the extent to which governance will influence an investment decision process will depend on a number of circumstances which compose the context. The only certainty is the need to present a “corporate governance behavior”, rather than simply establishing rules and regulations at firm and country level.

An essay on impression management: three randomized experiments with financial analysts

This thesis aims to explore the concept of impression management from the financial analysts’ point of view. Impression management is the definition of the act of an agent manipulating an impression that another person have of this agent, in the context of this thesis it happens when a company make graphics to disclosure financial-accounting information in order to manipulate the market’s perception of their performance. Three types of impression management were analyzed: presentation enhancement (color manipulation), measurement distortion (scale manipulation) and selectivity (the disclosure of positive information only). While presentation enhancement improved only the most impulsive financial analysts’ perception of firm’s performance, the measurement distortion improved the perception of performance for both groups of financial analysts (impulsive and reflective). Finally, selectivity improved the financial analysts’ perception of firm’s performance for both groups (impulsive and reflective), although impulsive financial analysts assigned lower ratings when compared to their reflective peers, on average, to a hypothetical company.

Efeitos do manejo comportamental de incontinência fecal em adolescente

A incontinência fecal, também conhecida como encoprese, é um transtorno de evacuação que acarreta prejuízos ao desenvolvimento psicossocial e orgânico da criança e do adolescente, e que demanda atenção e cuidado de pais e profissionais de saúde. No amplo contexto de tratamento da encoprese, a psicoterapia constitui importante recurso, sendo a terapia comportamental apontada como uma das modalidades mais promissoras e eficazes para o tratamento dessa dificuldade de eliminação. Este artigo apresenta o estudo dos efeitos do manejo comportamental de quadro de incontinência fecal em um adolescente de 14 anos, atendido em clínica-escola de Psicologia do interior do Estado de São Paulo durante 14 meses. A partir do referencial teórico da análise do comportamento, foi desenvolvido, em contexto psicoterápico, um conjunto de estratégias comportamentais com o cliente, bem como orientações aos pais, visando à gradativa extinção encoprética. No decorrer desse processo, o cliente apresentou significativas aquisições comportamentais de uso regular do banheiro e adequado controle esfincteriano, monitoradas semanalmente, que possibilitaram a plena extinção das ocorrências de sujidade, sendo avaliado o efeito em follow-up realizado três meses após o encerramento dessa intervenção.

Rendimento acadêmico e sua relação com os estilos de personalidade de estudantes universitários

One of the Psychology challenges, especially among the assessment and educational areas, is to understand and predict individual differences. In this context, this research aimed to verify the personality styles of students with high and low academic performance. The study included 236 university students from Petrolina-PE and Juazeiro-BA campus of the UNIVASF (Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco). They were uniformly distributed in four disciplines (medicine, psychology, administration and civil engineering), 10 students from each semester (five highest scores average students and five lowest scores average students) took place of the sample. The Millon Index Personality Styles (MIPS) was applied to analyze the personality/behavioral styles of the students. The MIPS is a 180 dichotomous (true/false) item scale. It was also developed and applied a questionnaire about the students characteristics and their academic information. Descriptive and central tendency statistics analysis (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage) were done to provide sample information. Then we performed a Mann-Whitney test in the overall sample and in each course and a factorial ANOVA. The results suggest that the university population is heterogeneous and there are significant differences (p <0.05) between the personality styles of students with high and low academic performance, when analyzing the overall sample and in courses of different areas of knowledge. Students of Medicine who have higher performance as personality styles prevalent the conformism and compliance, while students with lower income in this course, the styles are: innovation and discrepancy. Psychology students with higher income are more systematic and lower income students to score significantly on accommodation. The civil engineering students of the two groups differed only in personality style intuition, being such a style more characteristic of higher income students. Students of Management with higher yield stand out more in the style of the doubt and lower yields in these styles: individual, reflection and discrepancy. This study is correlational, but had an exploratory nature because there are no studies about this relationship in Brazil. Therefore, it provided a better understanding of the action characteristics of students with high and low academic performance. Further studies using the Big Five Personality Factors instruments are required because it is the most used model in understanding the influence of personality on students performance. This way, the relation between personality and academic performance will be better discussed. Otherwise, it will be possible to compare with the existing studies in the area